Falling from Grace
by squeaky-monkey
Summary: Ravenpaw is excited about her up coming warrior ceremony, and is happy daydreaming about her crush with her bff, Gingerpaw. But when a terrible accident seems to turn everyone against her, it will take a miracle to bring her back to grace with her clanmates. For the coolest forum ever's medicine cat challenge contest.


I woke up early in the morning and gave a giant yawn. Today was the first day of training with Falcontail my mentor. I scrambled up, my dark fur all matted, and raced out of the apprentice den. Falcontail was waiting for me right outside the den so I skidded to a halt and walked back to him. My head bowed. He led my outside and I began to leap about, excited.

"No Ravenpaw, this is not a lesson to see how high you can jump, your supposed to be hunting! Now when you pounce you shouldn't be very high keep it low, ok?" Falcontail meowed at me.

Great, this was my first lesson and Falcontail was already criticizing me, I thought, as I peered around the woods looking for another mouse.

Later on that day I saw Lilystar our leader walking around camp with a look on her face showing that she didn't feel well at all. I stared at her as she walked through the trees, probably hunting for a mouse.

As I walked around camp I spotted my best friend, a she-cat named Gingerpaw. I padded over to her and curled up on a rock next to her.

"I am so excited to become a warrior!" she meowed her voice soft and light. "With you of course! We can both hunt and fight together." Her ginger fur shone in the light. She was a very pretty cat. Unlike me who was no where near as pretty as Gingerpaw.

"Yeah," I meowed, decided to go take a nap.

As I got up, I spotted Briarpaw stalking a mouse. I quickly looked away wondering if he saw me staring.

"I know you like him," Gingerpaw meowed from behind me.

"Do not!" I said before stomping off.

The next morning I met Falcontail outside the apprentice den like yesterday. We were going to work on hunting again. As we entered the forest I immediately spotted three or four mice scurrying around through the trees.

"Go," he meowed. _Not much of the talking type,_ I thought as I padded over all of the dried leaves that we're crunching under my paws. Quickly I spotted a few mice taking cover under a bush. I got into a crouched position and moved my paw just slightly to make a sound to scare the mice out of their hiding place so I could pounce. As the mice scurried out from under the bush I pounced catching one of them. As the other mice quickly disappeared into the brambles I found Falcontail waiting for me it a clearing in the woods. We padded back to camp.

As we stepped out of the forest Falcontail quickly walked off leaving me standing alone.

I walked off to find Gingerpaw sunning on a big rock, big enough to fit two cats so I jumped up and curled up next to her. But then my mom wandered up to me and started licking my matted fur down.

"Mom stop!" I meowed. Gingerpaw giggled and I glared at her.

"You're getting so big!" my mom complained, but she left me alone. I walked over to my two brothers.

"Hey Ravenpaw did you hear that Lilystar just had kits and that Nightfur is taking over leader until she gets back from the nursery?" Brackenpaw meowed. Shadowpaw nodded.

"No, is she ok? I just saw her hunting, so she should be," I asked.

"Yeah she is fine," he answered.

A moon later

I was so exited because Gingerpaw and I were going to become warriors in a few days! I couldn't believe it! I dashed out of the apprentice den and skidded to a halt in front of Falcontail and we walked into the forest.

"Today we are going to learn how to climb trees," he meowed, his voice soft.

"Yes!" I meowed quietly under my breath.

We walked up to a big tall tree and Falcontail leaped onto the lowest branch and motioned me to follow. I was nervous but I wasn't about to show or tell Falcontail that, so I gathered up my courage and leaped onto the branch.

"Good" Falcontail meowed then he jumped to another branch a little bit higher and I did the same.

And that continued until we were on almost the highest branch but my paw slipped and quickly grabbed the branch my claws digging into the wood.

Hanging from the tree I yowled "Falcontail!"

Falcontail dashed down from the branch he was on and quickly spotted me hanging from a branch and dashed to me. "Ravenpaw!" he screeched, his voice panicked. I tried to heave my body back onto the branch but my paw slipped and I fell...

...

When I woke up I saw a few blurry faces in front of me and I heard someone whisper "she's awake." My front left paw was searing with pain. As soon as my vision was clear I recognized the faces of the Medicine cat, Crookedtail, my mother, my father, and the leader Lilystar all looking down at me

"You may come in" Crookedtail meowed. Gingerpaw burst through the ivy falling from the top of the Medicine cat's den. As she looked at me I expected a sweet smile as she walked up to me but instead she had a horrified look as she looked down at my paw.

"Your paw!" she gasped. I looked down and was horrified at the twisted mess my paw had become.

I gasped. Then Gingerpaw's face softened as she padded over to me. "Ravenpaw I am so sorry," she meowed her face full of concern.

"It's fine," I meowed bravely, shaking the picture of my ruined paw out of my head but it stayed there as if plastered to my mind.

"Well the good thing is that I heard we were going to become warriors soon," Gingerpaw meowed.

"Yeah," I mumbled curling up.

...

"Gingerpaw and Briarpaw, I call upon the powers of StarClan to give you two your warrior names. Gingerpaw you shall be known as Gingerheart and Briarpaw you shall be known as Briarpelt. Do you accept?" I heard Lilystar yowl. Confused I padded out of the den just in time to see Briarpaw and Gingerpaw say 'I do.'

_What? _I thought, puzzled. _We were suppose to become Warriors together! _Lilystar saw me, and continued speaking.

"Also, I have decided to name Ravenpaw our new medicine cat apprentice. Ravenpaw, do you accept?" Lilystar meowed.

"O-okay," I stammered, because there was nothing else I could say. Nothing at all...

...

A few days later I could come out of the Medicine cat's den. As I limped out, my paw at an ugly twisted angle, I expected to see Gingerheart waiting out side for me. Instead, I saw her a few yards away flirting and twirling her tail with... _Who is that_? I thought. When I got a closer look I realized that it was Briarpelt. I burned with jealousy before stalking off.

I almost collided with Cloudpaw, a young apprentice who Gingerheart and I had often made fun of and ignored.

"Sorry," he meowed, but he was looking at my paw, grimancing. But not _at_ me, as Gingerheart had, but _for_ me... If anyone else had said that I would have probably shouted angrily that I was fine, but I didn't feel angry. I only felt kindness.

"Its fine," I meowed softly before padding off. Cloudpaw was rather cute...

…

A few weeks later I saw a group of cats walking towards me, including Gingerheart and Briarpelt. They stopped in front of me.

"Hey ravenpaw," Gingerheart sneered.

"Hi," I said quietly, confused at the tone Gingerheart had used with me. The two of them burst into laughter, and padded off, tails twined. Sad, I didn't notice Cloudpaw until he tapped me.

"Don't listen to them. They think you're worthless now that you're a Medicine cat, but they're wrong," he meowed, looking a bit angry. Cloudpaw and I had bonded over the last couple of weeks, and now were close friends. He seemed to be the only cat who didn't judge me for my paw.

"I know," I sighed sadly, leaning into his soft white fur. He licked me gently. Just then Pebbletail hurried up to us, looking freaked out.

"Ravenpaw! Crookedtail is out and Lilystar has fallen ill! You must come help," the tom gasped, in a frenzy. Pebbletail was Lilystar's mate. I knew I wasn't experienced, but I had to try to help. I followed him into Lilystar's den, and Cloudpaw watched curiously.

Lilystar's eyes were glazed over and she was breathing very slow. I quickly ran to the Medicine cat's den and gathered as many herbs as I could hold in my mouth and scampered back to her den. She was looking worse then ever and her breathing was even slower.

Panic started to rise up I me but I pushed it back down and started sorting through the herbs I had brought over. I quickly grabbed a few and started trying to make Lilystar swallow. As I finely got her to swallow, her eyes were beginning to come back into focus. _Why did Crookedtail chose this exact day to go looking for new herbs, or whatever he does when he is gone?_I thought as I tried to coax more herbs into her mouth. Soon her breathing became more rapid but not to fast. I sighed with relief and Pebbletail looked equally satisfied, and he was still standing contently over Lillystar. She slowly drifted off to sleep.

…

The next day as I padded into Lilystar's den, she rolled over and moaned for Pebbletail. I sighed with relief as Lilystar slowly got up, but then pushed her back down.

"Rest," I meowed. Just then Crookedtail burst into the den.

"What happened? Is she okay? I'm so sorry I wasn't here!" he babbled, his voice panicked.

"Shhh!' Pebbletail quieted him.

"Sorry," meowed Crookedtail as her bent over Lilystar, "Did you give her the right herbs?" He sorted through the extra herbs that I had brought over.

"Yes," I said, still slightly in shock of what had recently happened. Crookedtail smiled proudly at me.

…

A few days later I heard that Lilystar was already out hunting. When she returned, I was told she wanted to see me. Before I could get up, her scent washed over me.

"Ravenpaw," Lilystar meowed as she padded into my den. "I want to thank you so much for saving me. I could have died, and I don't know what would of happened to my kits!" she meowed in a soft voice. She was obviously terrified about abandoning her kits, not about losing her life.

"You're welcome," I stammered, hiding my confusion.

"Pebbletail has came up with the idea that you should be rewarded. I agree. What do you want?" she meowed seriously. I stared at her in shock.

"Anything?" I questioned.

"Anything," she confirmed. _I could become a warrior! _ But reality struck me hard. I could never be a warrior. I thought back to Cloudpaw, recently named Cloudfoot.

"I want to be able to have a mate. I know Medicine cats cant have one so I promise I won't have kits and neglect my duties. I just really want to be able to have a mate,' I meowed steadily. Lilystar thought about it for a second.

"Okay," she meowed finally, "But I'm sorry, you cannot have kits."

"I know," I meowed, full of joy. "I promise..." 


End file.
